The Turkish Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs announced, Tuesday, that Turkey is to establish a seawater desalination plant to solve water crisis, estimating the coast of the project to $300,000,000 USD.

The minister noted, according to Al Ray, that the project is big-ticket, noting that some countries announced that they will contribute to the project.

Gaza water infrastructure has shuddered under the burden of an almost decade-long Israeli-Egyptian siege.

Three major Israeli wars on Gaza since 2008 have only exacerbated the problem, with jets bombing every square kilometre of the strip, inflicting damage onto reservoirs above and pipelines below the ground.

He added that the amount of chloride in the groundwater is higher than the normal average according to the Palestinian specification and the standards of World Health Organization which estimated the chloride in the water up to 1.500 milligrams per liter.

However, the standards of World Health organization warns of the increasing of chloride in water to more than 400 milligrams per liter.

Hamas Movement stressed in a press release issued Tuesday on the anniversary of Israeli summer war on Gaza, that Palestinian resistance headed by al-Qassam Brigades is still steadfast and fully determined in face of Israeli occupation.

"Our compass did not deviate from Palestine", the statement underlined. Israeli war on Gaza has given a light of hope for Palestinian prisoners, according to the Movement.

“Palestinian resistance, headed by al-Qassam Brigades, has fought a heroic battle that foiled the Israeli plan to destroy resistance.” The Movement hailed the Palestinian people’s heroic sacrifices made during the Israeli four aggressions on Gaza.

The statement also expressed gratitude to the free people who showed great support for the Palestinian people. Palestinian resistance is still strong as it will never allow any future assault, the Movement vowed.

“Israel’s war crimes against Palestinians will never be erased from history and will never go unpunished despite the international complicity.”

Prisoners’ freedom is a top priority, the Islamic Movement underlined. "On this occasion, we renew our adherence to resistance option and total support for the Jerusalem Intifada", the statement concluded.

MP Jamal al-Khudari, head of the popular committee against the siege, called on the donor countries to abide by their pledges for Gaza reconstruction to end the suffering of its 70,000 displaced families due to the Israeli aggression since 2014.

In a statement on Saturday, Khudari underlined that the donors have paid 35% only of their pledges; while the siege, the closure of the crossings, and the restriction on the entry of construction materials had obstructed the reconstruction process.

“Lifting the siege on Gaza is the most important gate to the reconstruction and ending the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip”, he said.

MP Khudari called for uniting the Palestinian efforts to alleviate the crises' level. He revealed that thousands of Gazan families are still living in caravans or small rented homes.

The Palestinian government revealed that donor countries paid only 40% of total aid commitments towards Gaza reconstruction after Israel’s 2014 aggression on the Strip.

The Palestinian national team for Gaza reconstruction said only $1.4 billion were paid out of $5.4 billion pledged by donor countries during Gaza reconstruction conference in Cairo.

State of Kuwait's grant to Palestine, amounting to US$ 200 million, is considered the highest, the team said in its report.

The PA government has recently reached an agreement with the Islamic Bank for Development and the state of Qatar to facilitate Gaza reconstruction funding. 171,000 Palestinian houses damaged during the 51-day aggression on Gaza are still in need for reconstruction, according to the report.

Gaza’s agricultural sector suffered losses and damages that exceeded $250 million. Only $75.4 million were provided for its reconstruction. 5,153 facilities of the economic sector were also damaged during the aggression.

The report also pointed to the development made in educational sector where 96% of the damaged public schools, 100% of UNRWA schools, 50% of universities, and 66% of kindergartens were rebuilt after being partially or totally destroyed during the aggression.

In July 2014, Israel launched an offensive on the besieged coastal enclave, which killed over 2,300 Palestinians, mostly civilians.

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) stationed along the border fence with Gaza on Friday opened machinegun fire at Palestinian farmers east of Khan Younis.

The Israeli heavy shooting forced Gazan farmers to leave their farms with no casualties reported.

The attack is another episode in the series of Israeli semi-daily violations of the Cairo-brokered truce accord signed between Israel and Palestinian resistance on August 26, 2014 in the wake of the Israeli offensive on the besieged coastal enclave, which killed over 2,300 Palestinians, mostly civilians.

A comprehensive report[PDF] issued by Physicians for Human Rights has addressed the condition of wounded persons residing in the Gaza Strip, and who were left with amputated limbs and who, in many cases, did not receive appropriate medical care following “Operation Protective Edge” [launched by Israel against the Strip in the summer on 2014].

In July of 2014, Israel mounted an offense on the Gaza Strip, which included a land-based invasion and bombardment from the air and sea. In the course of the 51 days of fighting there was not one safe place to hide from the attacks. Homes, hospitals, and bomb shelters were directly hit; civilians were no more protected than fighters. More than 2,200 people were killed, and 11,000 were wounded.

The summeroffensive on the Gaza Strip produced approximately one hundred new amputees among its residents. The end of the war was the start of a new one for the amputees—a battle to cope with the reality of their new life.

The report, titled, ‘Amputees’ reviews the care and rehabilitation possibilities, primarily in the Gaza Strip, but also in the West Bank, and the obstacles facing the amputees who try to receive care outside the region, according to WAFA. This report is being published alongside the blog #GazaAmputees, which showcases the people behind the numbers and tells the story of eight amputees from the Gaza Strip.

Regarding challenges facing limb amputees in Gaza, the report noted that, they include the amputation itself and the rehabilitation process; the physical conditions in the Gaza Strip, with its poor infrastructures, ruined streets and non-powered elevators; the difficulty eking out a living in a place with a high unemployment rate to begin with, plus other financial burdens related to the costs of treatment and rehabilitation; the loss of their social role before the injury; the psychological trauma following the injury, and having to grapple with it in the absence of a well-organized support system.

About 2.4% of Gaza’s residents, or 42,240 people, live with some form of disability, mostly (47.2%) movement restrictions (not just due to amputation). The military assault added approximately one hundred new amputees to tens of others who were left amputated by previous wars and operations.

Among them are at least 14 women and 10 boys and girls, the youngest of whom was one year old at the time of his injury; the absolute majority of amputees are young people under thirty. Among those injured in the attacks are families with two or more of their members left without limbs.In seeking rehabilitation treatments, amputees face a host of problems.

Firstly, the Palestinian health system is decentralized, both geographically and in terms of service providers. Geographically, the system is divided between three different regions: the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.11 Any movement between these regions requires Israeli authorization; this is not always granted, and even when it is, there are bureaucratic delays and complications involved.

The report concluded that Israel must lift the restrictions and difficulties it imposes on amputees, including facilitating their passage for medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip; and honor its obligation to allow fulfillment of the right to health as defined by international law, and grant medical care to injured individuals who need it.

Two years since the outbreak of the 2014 war that cost the lives of 2,492 Palestinian civilians, including 551 children, much of the Gaza Strip remains in ruins.

Entire neighborhoods remain cut off from water supplies, destroyed hospitals and clinics have not yet been rebuilt, and tens of thousands remain without a home.

While some reconstruction has progressed, the situation in Gaza remains dire. Less than 10% of the 11,000 homes that were completely destroyed during the 51 day bombardment have been rebuilt. As a result of the war and the impact of the blockade imposed in 2007 by Israel, more than 75,000 Palestinians in Gaza still have no home to return to.

“Two years since the beginning of the war, the blockade is severely impeding reconstruction and recovery in Gaza. Unless it is lifted, Palestinians living in Gaza will be unable to move on with their lives and live in freedom, dignity, and safety,” Oxfam Country Director Chris Eijkemans said, according to the PNN.

“When the ceasefire began, world leaders promised to work towards sustainable and long-term development for Palestinians living in Gaza. However, there is little evidence of those promises on the ground.”

International organizations working in the occupied Palestinian territory are sounding the alarm on the lack of progress in Gaza’s reconstruction as a result of Israel’s heavy restrictions on the entry of materials critical to the recovery process. The organizations called on world leaders to live up to their commitments and press for an immediate end to the blockade.

The almost decade long blockade has crippled Gaza’s economy. Without the ability to sell to external markets, private sector employment has plummeted. Overall unemployment is above 40%, with Gaza’s youth unemployment among the highest in the world.

The impact of the blockade on children is particularly devastating, and tens of thousands of children remain without a home as a result of the 2014 conflict. “Half of Gaza’s population are children, many of whom have lived their whole life under blockade. Hundreds of children requiring vital medical treatment are prevented from leaving Gaza. Two years on, the root causes of their suffering have still not been addressed,” said Fikr Shalltoot, Director of Programmes in Gaza for Medical Aid for Palestinians.

Mr Eijkemans said that lifting the blockade is the only solution to give people access to the basic services they desperately need, to allow reconstruction to proceed in full, and to allow Gaza’s crippled economy to restore.

“The blockade is illegal under international law and amounts to collective punishment of an entire population. Only its immediate end will bring about long-term security for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

According to UN statistics, Palestinians now make up the largest percentage of refugees in the entire world.

UNRWA announced that 6,303 Gazan refugee families have not received payments to start repairing their totally destroyed homes.

Total estimated costs for reconstruction are 283.6 million dollars. In a report, UNRWA revealed that payments to 23 refugee families have been made to restore their totally destroyed homes in Gaza Strip.

Payments should also be continued to another 1000 refugee families.

The report disclosed that over 1.88 million American dollars was paid last week for reconstruction, repair works and cash aid for rentals.

Funding will reach a total of 882 refugee families in the besieged enclave. Approximately 8,000 refugee families still displaced by the 2014 conflict have not received transitional shelter cash assistance (TSCA) for the second quarter in in 2016, the report pointed out.

The report stated that for repairs of damages of all categories (minor, major and severe), the principal barrier to completing the outstanding repairs is funding.

If current conditions remain, including adequate amounts of building material entering Gaza, UNRWA estimates that repairs could be completed within six months from receipt of sufficient funding.

Israeli soldiers, stationed across the border fence, fired several rounds of live ammunition at Palestinian homes in the al-Qarara area, northeast of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Eyewitnesses said the soldiers, stationed on towers in a military base across the border fence, east of the town, fired many live rounds at the homes, causing damage.

The soldiers also fired live rounds into Palestinian agricultural lands, near the border fence.

A Palestinian young man from the Gaza Strip on Friday evening suffered a bullet injury when Israeli soldiers opened fire at civilians during their presence in an agricultural area east of the border fence.

Local paramedics told Anadolu news agency that a number of Palestinian civilians were in an agricultural area inside Gaza, particularly to the east of al-Bureij refugee camp when border soldiers opened fire at them with no reason.

They added that one young man was injured in the attack and rushed to Shuhadaa al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

Israeli gunfire attacks happen recurrently in Gaza border areas and endangers the lives of civilians and farmers. The Israeli army also carries out, every once in while, military incursions and bulldozes cultivated plots of land.

The Israeli Air Force carried out, on Saturday at dawn, a series of air strikes targeting a number of sites, believed to be run by armed resistance groups, in different parts of the besieged Gaza Strip. The army said a shell was fired from Gaza, on Friday at night.

Media sources in Gaza have reported that the Israeli Air Force fired several missiles into two sites, run by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, south of Gaza city, and a blacksmith workshop in Gaza’s Zeitoun neighborhood.

Another strike targeted Qassam sites in Beit Lahia and Jabalia, in addition to a shed near the Agricultural School, east of Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The strikes caused excessive property damage.

Israeli media said that a shell was fired from Gaza, just after 11 before midnight, and landed in the Negev town of Sderot, causing damage to a kindergarten, adding that the “Red Alert” siren system was sounded, on Friday evening, in Sderot.

Two Palestinian citizens suffered injuries at dawn Saturday during Israeli aerial attacks on different areas of the Gaza Strip.

Local and security sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that Israeli warplanes waged three airstrikes on training posts belonging to al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas, south of Gaza City.

No one was hurt in the raids. Two Palestinian citizens were reportedly injured in another air raid on an industrial workshop belonging to the Hasanain family in al-Zeitun neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

The workshop sustained extensive material damage. Israeli warplanes also bombed two resistance sites in Beit Lahiya, north of Gaza, with no reported casualties.

Later, a warplane fired several missiles at an agricultural structure in Beit Hanoun, north of Gaza, and destroyed it.

The Israeli occupation army claimed its aerial attacks were in response to a rocket attack on Friday from Gaza. It said a Palestinian rocket hit and damaged an empty building in Sderot city in the Negev.

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Friday night landed atop a kindergarten and caused damage to the building; nobody was physically injured, but one person suffered a panic attack.

A rocket was fired on Friday night from the Gaza Strip, striking a kindergarten in Sderot. The building was damaged, but no persons were physically wounded. One person suffered a panic attack, requiring treatment.

At 10:59pm, a Code Red rocket alert was sounded in Sderot and in several communities located within the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. Residents ran for cover in protected shelters.

The alert in the south came at the end of a difficult day of terrorism. In the morning, a stabbing attempt took place in Hebron. In the afternoon, a drive-by shooting attack in south Har Hevron killed Michael "Miki" Mark, 48, who was travelling in his car with his wife, the seriously wounded Chava, and two of their children, Tehila, 13, and Pedayah, 15), who were wounded moderately-to-seriously and lightly, respectively. The manhunt after the shooter or shooters continues.

Israeli navy ships opened fire, on Friday morning, on a number of Palestinian fishing boats near the shore of Gaza city and the Central District, causing damage and forcing the fishers back to shore.

The fishers said the soldiers fired many live rounds at their boats as they were trying to fish, in Gaza territorial waters, causing damage but no injuries.

Several navy ships also chased some of the boats back to the shore in Central Gaza, while firing at them.

The Israeli navy conducts daily assaults and violations against Palestinian fishers in Gaza territorial waters, leading to dozens of casualties, including fatalities, and repeatedly abducts fishers in addition to the illegal confiscation of their boats.